A
thought by Zig Ziglar (2003-01-01) from his book, Zig Ziglar's Life Lifters (p. 138). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Zig is so
good at dealing with the realities of life.
And this is a very good one. So
many people weigh down their present and their future with their past.
Zig
says, “All of us have the opportunity to let our past either teach us or beat
us. The choice is ours.” And it is.
He
goes on, “An anonymous writer put it this way: ‘There comes a time when we must
clean out the closets of our lives so that we may have room for items that will
enhance our lives. Let's search the closets of our lives and make a trip to the
wastebasket. Throw away any hatred that may be lurking there, and be sure to
toss out jealousy, bad attitudes, dishonesty, complaints, sin and hypocrisy.
Before you finish, throw away that grudge you've been carrying against someone.
Make room to add love, honesty, forgiveness and kindness, not to mention
thankfulness for all of God's blessings. Go and make room for reverence and
respect for God, from Whom all good comes. Stand back and look. Your life's
closet is looking better, isn't it? Take a moment today to spring clean your
heart. Ask God to come in and if He finds anything else that should not be
there, to take it out so that you can live holy and right.’”
That
would without a doubt be a good project for today.
He
concludes this chapter by saying, “Carl Bard puts this all in perspective when
he says, ‘Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brand new ending.’ In many ways this is the major
benefit of character, which is the foundation stone upon which all long-term
positive relationships are built. Arthur Friedman says, ‘Men of genius are
admired. Men of wealth are envied. Men of power are feared. But only men of
character are trusted.’ It makes sense to deal with the past in order to enrich
our lives and give us the freedom to be the best we can be. Guilt, anger, and
fear are heavy burdens to carry. Doing the right thing eliminates guilt. Acting
with integrity eliminates the fear of being ‘found out’ because you have
nothing to hide. With the albatross of fear and guilt removed, you can travel
faster go farther and have more fun on the trip.”
It will make a difference. So what is it in your past that you need to take care of?
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